Someone to Protect Me, Someone to Watch Over Me
by ClemPrime13
Summary: Jacques Schnee has won the election, and now sits on the Atlas Council. So, he decides to throw a ball to lord it over General Ironwood. How will teams RWBY and JNR react to being made to literally dance to Jacques's tune? White Knight, Canon Compliant, Rated T for language and mentions of abuse.


Weiss couldn't believe her ears. Not only was her father inviting the entire group to a ball to celebrate his victory in the election, but he had the absolute _nerve... _to make them the entertainment?

"I'm sorry, General, I'm pretty sure that my ears are working about as well as my _actual _right arm. Could you repeat that?" Yang asked incredulously, her voice laced with so much sarcasm that she probably just killed every Grimm within a fifty mile radius.

At least Yang was in a place where she could joke about that now.

General Ironwood cleared his throat and repeated, "Mr. Schnee has made it clear to me that the 'Heroes Of Haven' as he put it, will be formally announced upon their arrival, are expected to wear proper attire, will be invited to open the dancing portion of the evening with a dance in their honor, and select one of their number to play a game of chess with Mr. Schnee."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Her father was a chess grandmaster, there was no way that anyone in their group could beat him.

Jaune spoke next, "Well, let's get the easy part out of the way first, the chess game. I haven't really played since I left home for Beacon, but I think that I can beat him."

Everyone stared at him like he had just declared that he was in a committed relationship with Cardin Winchester.

Weiss scoffed at him, "Jaune, my father is a _grandmaster_. There's no way that you could beat him, even with how gifted you are at strategy."

Jaune shrugged, "Well, I'm a grandmaster too. Technically."

At this, Winter Schnee raised an eyebrow. "Your name isn't on the Grandmaster's Ledger, Mr. Arc."

"No, but one of my sisters is. Artemis never turned me down when I asked her to play. Eventually she got tired of creaming me, and trained me up to her level. The night before I left for Beacon we played one last game. I beat her, it wasn't official or anything, but technically..."

Weiss couldn't believe her ears. "Technically, you're a grandmaster..."

Winter shook her head, "Alright, now that we have that out of the way, the hard part begins."

"What's that?" Oscar asked.

"Figuring out how to pair you lot off for your dance."

* * *

It actually hadn't been difficult at all. Ren and Nora had insisted on being paired, as had Yang and Blake. Winter decided that she would step in as Qrow's partner, much to his dismay.

"Can't I just sit this one out? The veteran hunter complained.

"No. I'm not happy about it either." Winter's terse reply betrayed exactly how thrilled she was about the whole affair.

That left Ruby, Oscar, Weiss, and Jaune.

A mischievous smile played across the face of the leader of team RWBY, "Dibs on Oscar!"

Oscar had apparently forgotten what words were for a while.

"Well, guess that leaves you and me, Weiss." Jaune said apologetically.

Yes it did, and because of the _quirks _of Atlesian high society, everyone at that ball would think that each couple was **actually **a couple.

Weiss cleared her throat, "I might as well warn you all now. Because of the... quirks in the social rules of Atlesian high society, everyone at that ball will assume that each couple is actually together."

Ren and Nora couldn't care less, they were finally together-together, as Nora put it. Yang and Blake seemed fine with it, which was no surprise to anyone. Even though they didn't broadcast the fact that they were dating, everyone saw the writing on the wall. Except Ren, apparently. Both Winter and Qrow flinched, It would've been sickeningly adorable if their obvious distaste of the situation wasn't apparent. Ruby had a massive ear-to-ear smile, and Oscar seemed hopeful. Now that Ozpin had seemingly decided to not take over Oscar anymore, dating didn't seem... as problematic for him.

And Jaune?

He was looking at the ex-heiress with concern.

"Are... you okay with this, Weiss? With everyone that's gonna be there thinking that uh.. you and me..." The knight's question trailed off, not daring to voice what was once his wildest dream.

Weiss regarded him, was she okay with this? Jaune had certainly matured since the days that he... pursued her. In recent days she had begun to see what Pyrrha had once seen in him.

_He's kind, he's honest, his devotion to training and self-improvement is admirable too. Frankly, I need someone like him, who is simply fundamentally a good person. It doesn't hurt that he fills out that armor quite nicely..._

The ex-heiress smiled. "Yes, Jaune. In fact, I'm more than okay with this."

Jaune joined Oscar in his newfound inability to make sentences.

Winter shook her head. She'd rather be facing down a hundred deathstalkers alone than dealing with whatever the hell this was.

"Weiss, please take them into town, and make sure that they all have proper attire." Winter said abruptly.

Qrow winced, Winter was just now realizing what he had been dealing with for the past year.

* * *

Oddly enough, it turned out that suit and dress shopping was the least stressful part of the whole affair. Not that Jaune noticed. He was a little too focused on his internal monologue about what Weiss had said about them being okay about them being perceived as a couple.

He figured that his the colors of his suit should match whatever dress Weiss chose, so he needed to wait anyways.

_She said that she was 'more than okay with it' so does that mean she wants this for real? What's changed since Beacon? Am I even ready for this? Would she wait if I'm not ready? What if... what if Neptune comes around again? _

Jaune was shaken from his deliberations by Ren.

"We all heard her, Jaune." Ren said matter-of-factly, "She'll understand if you're not ready."

Jaune just nodded, he didn't trust himself to speak at the moment.

Ren continued, "However, in my opinion, I think Pyrrha would want you to move on and find someone that makes you happy."

Jaune finally found his voice. "I know that, Ren, I just didn't think that I still had these feelings for Weiss."

Ren raised an eyebrow, "You actually got over her?"

"Yeah, I was basically over her by the time the Fall of Beacon happened, but then Haven... happened."

Ren nodded sagely as if that explained everything.

Oscar called out to them, "Hey, the girls want to do a fashion show for us."

And so they did. Ruby had, predictably, chosen a red dress that was long enough to hide the fact that she wouldn't be wearing "lady stilts" as she called them. It seemed that Yang had chosen her yellow dress specifically to draw attention to her mechanical arm, while Blake had chosen a form fitting dress that would turn the head of even the most racist Atlas aristocrat. Nora had chosen a simple strapless dress and red sash, and Weiss...

Weiss looked like an ice sculpture that had taken human form. Whites and blues melded together to create the illusion that her dress was made of ice. which was aided by the fact that every time she moved, the dress _shimmered._ Her selection of jewelry complemented this with a beautiful sapphire necklace and earrings, and of course, her trademark tiara.

After what seemed like hours to him, Jaune . exe rebooted.

"Weiss, you look magnificent."

Weiss smirked at the knight, "So, how hard is it for you to not call me Snow Angel right now?"

_Wait, is she openly flirting with me? Say something you idiot!_

"Well, I thought about it, but then I remembered how much you hated it, so I-"

As everyone else dispersed she swiftly closed the distance between them and put a single finger to his lips, silencing him. "I used to hate it. Because I thought you were like every other guy that came around, or every would-be suitor my father forced me to meet. Only interested in the status of my name. By the time that I had realized that you were different, it was too late. Father had stolen me from all of you, but here we are with a second chance, and I am not going to waste it."

Jaune gave her his best dopey grin. "I don't want to waste it either, Snow Angel."

Jaune was smiling like a fool all the way back to Atlas Academy.

* * *

They had made all the preparations that were possible. They had rehearsed being formally announced, Winter was convinced that they all knew what they were doing when it came to the dance floor.

The only thing to do now was to walk into what Weiss considered to be hostile territory. The car ride to Schnee Manor had been quiet so far, until Weiss turned to Jaune with a look of alarm on her face.

"What's wrong, Weiss?" Jaune asked.

"Out of all of us, you'll be getting the most time with Father, and I haven't warned you about the kind of man he is.

Jaune grimaced, "That bad, huh?"

Weiss smiiled weakly, "Worse."

She began to paint a picture for Jaune. A picture of how of how on Weiss's tenth birthday, Jacques and Willow Schnee had gotten in the worst fight yet, how Jacques had revealed that he never loved Willow anyways, and that he had only married her to get control of the SDC. From that day on, life in Schnee Manor was hell. Willow had started drinking. Excessively. Jacques started being more and more manipulative, and if you didn't go along with it, his hands would meet your face. Violently.

Jaune couldn't believe his ears. The idea that someone could be so cruel to their own family was such a foreign concept to him. Sure, Papa Arc was tough on him sometimes, but never abusive. Jaune saw that Weiss was on the verge of tears, and protective instincts that were born of having seven sisters kicked in.

He took her hand, "Don't worry, Weiss. I'll protect you from him."

She smiled. Why had she been worried? Her father wouldn't be able to do anything to her, not while she had her very own knight in shining armor to protect her.

Weiss cupped his face with her free hand, "And I'll watch over you, so we can give my father a little bit of the comeuppance that he so rightly deserves."

* * *

Everything had been going so well. Judging from the polite applause that they had been able to hear, Qrow, Winter, Ren, Nora, Ruby, and Oscar had been received well. Weiss let out a sigh of relief, she had been expecting Ruby to trip.

Then... Yang and Blake happened, the applause had tapered off too quickly, all at once.

"They realized that Blake's a Faunus." Jaune stated.

Weiss nodded weakly, "Yes, I know my teammates, I'm not worried about Blake. She'll conduct herself appropriately, given the situation, but..."

Jaune's eyes went wide as he came to a sudden, horrible realization. "Yang is going to be _furious_!"

Weiss cocked her head and listened for a moment, "No, I think we're in the clear. I don't hear anything breaking. Yet."

They both had a good chuckle at that, afterward it was time for their grand entrance.

Over the earbuds that everyone wore, they heard Qrow. "Alright, don't forget the plan. We do our damned dance, then Weiss slips away and snoops around for anything we can use to take down Jacques. The chess game won't start for a hour after we get done our dance. Judging by Winter's nagging, it wouldn't be a good look if you're not back for that Weiss, considering your not-boyfriend is-"

Weiss cut him off, "You mean, considering my _boyfriend_ is the one who is going to wipe the floor with my father."

Qrow swore under his breath, "Yeah, that. Like I was about to say, you'll have a time limit."

"Well," Jaune said, offering his arm to Weiss, "Shall we, Snow Angel?" He had his trademark grin on.

Weiss smirked, and took his arm.

* * *

"For your approval, I present Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee!"

Weiss descended the staircase with a grace born of experience, and was pleased to see Jaune doing the same.

"You know," Weiss whispered, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd done this as much as I have."

"Well, call it a side effect of having seven sisters, that all had to be taught how to dance." Jaune replied.

They joined the line that they had been instructed to form, standing besides Yang and Blake. Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company began to go down the line, personally thanking the "Heroes of Haven."

Then he got to her and Jaune. Weiss tensed up, this could make or break the entire evening.

"Weiss."

"Father." Weiss was surprised that he had acknowledged her at all.

Jacques moved on to what he assumed would be an easier target.

He assumed incorrectly.

"So, tell me, Mr. Arc," Jacques started, "How does the only heir to a warrior tribe far past its prime win the heart of my daughter?"

Weiss looked up at Jaune in a way she hoped was lovingly. Hopefully he wasn't wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Thankfully, he wasn't, he had a look of calm composure, except for his eyes.

His gaze could have killed Salem herself, immortality be damned.

"First of all, Mr. Schnee," Jaune retorted, "Weiss, and her heart for that matter, is not some prize to be won, some possession to be owned. Her independent spirit is what drew me to her to begin with after all. For you to insinuate that she is some... object to be owned, is quite frankly, insulting."

Weiss beamed at Jaune. He could be quite well-spoken when he wanted to.

Before Jaune could provide a rebuttal against the slight against his family, Jacques interrupted him. "I think as time goes on, you'll find that... Weiss needs a _firm hand_ to keep her in line." As he said this he rubbed the back of his hand.

While Jaune could, at times, be extraordinarily dense, the meaning there did not escape him.

Weiss's thoughts were akin to a tornado, _Drat! He wants to get Jaune angry, make him say or do something that will ruin everything we came here to do! Please don't fall for it, Jaune!_

Jaune replied in a almost unreasonably calm tone of voice, anyone who knew him, would know that he was holding back rage, "Well, I'm happy to say that you are completely wrong. I'm the one in this relationship that needs a loving, guiding hand."

Jacques scoffed at him, "So you're weak."

Jaune laughed at that. "Mr. Schnee, if I had a Lien for every time that someone underestimated me, like you are now, I could buy your company from you. So please underestimate me. It'll be fun when I prove you wrong."

Jacques gave him a snort of derision, then left to announce that the first dance of the evening would be in the honor of the assembled Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Everyone took their places, and Weiss let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. The music started, and thankfully it was the Atlesian Waltz that everyone had expected and practiced for.

"You alright, Weiss?" Jaune asked

Weiss smiled, "Yes, I have you here, after all."

Jaune chuckled to himself, "Man, imagine how excited I would've been a couple of years ago to hear that!"

Weiss giggled, "The sheer wave of positive emotions would be a rather effective Grimm repellant, I'd imagine."

They danced in silence for a time, until Jaune broke it.

"Thank you, Weiss."

Weiss gave him a look which could only be described as quizzical. "For what?"

"For warning me about your father before we got here. If you hadn't, I would've punched him when he implied what he's done to you. Then all of this would've been for nothing."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Would you really have punched him? Because I'd pay good money to see that."

"Gods, you're so adorable when you do that eyebrow raise- er... I mean, yeah. I would have, having seven sisters means I have... well developed protective instincts when it comes to the important women in my life."

Weiss treated him to her best sultry gaze, complete with eyelash batting, "Oh, I'm important, am I?"

Back when they were at Beacon, this was about where Jaune's brain would short circuit. Now it was just overheating.

_Well, actions speak louder than words, Jaune..._

Right as the music for the waltz hit its climax, Jaune swooped in and kissed her. Jaune had only intended it to be a quick peck, but Weiss pulled him back in to continue. For a criminally short amount of time, the world melted away, and it was just the two of them in all of existence, the knight and the snow angel.

"Okay, okay," Weiss mumbled, "I need to go, the plan and all..."

Jaune nodded. "Right. Go, just be careful, please."

At first, Weiss was confused by his tone of voice, it was almost like he was pleading with her to be safe. Then she remembered.

The Fall, Pyrrha, the kiss, Cinder.

"I'll be careful, Jaune, I promise."

They parted with another all too brief kiss, Weiss left to go see if she could uncover any evidence of foul play in the election and otherwise, and Jaune found a nice patch of wall to lean on until it was time for the showdown at the OK Corral, metaphorically speaking.

On his way to his chosen patch of wall, a couple of waiters offered him wine. Jaune declined on both occasions. He wanted to keep his head clear so that Jacques didn't pull a fast one on him. Plus, Weiss probably would not have approved, given her mother's _coping mechanisms_.

Time passed, as it tends to do, and forty-five minutes later, he and everyone in the group heard Weiss's voice in their ears. "We've got him red-handed."

Winter replied, business-like as ever, "Good job, Weiss. Hurry back."

Weiss returned, briefly conferred with General Ironwood and Winter, then found Jaune.

"So," Jaune asked, his voice laced with just a touch of sarcasm, "When's the arrest happening?"

Weiss treated him to one of her legendary eyerolls. "During the council meeting, which happens after you beat him."

Jaune did a double take. If they could move on it now, it must be big, and serious.

As he took that in, he noticed some servants bring in a table, two chairs, and start setting up a chessboard.

Jaune separated himself from the wall, "Well, it appears that it's time for my duel with the devil."

Before he got far, Weiss grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. "For luck."

Jaune grinned. Jacques Schnee thought that he had laid a trap for him and his friends. Jaune was about to flip the table.

* * *

"Heroes of Haven," Jacques announced smugly, "you were asked to have one of your number be prepared to play me in chess. Have you selected?

General Ironwood replied, "They have, Jacques."

The Dust tycoon's mustache twitched, "Well, who is it?"

Jaune emerged from the gathering crowd, "That would be me. Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, Weiss loves it."

Weiss blushed, of course he would open with that. She smiled, no one here was quite prepared for the Arc Charm, as Jaune called it.

Jacques scowled, "I'm taking white."

Internally, Jaune was grinning. Jacques had just made his first mistake. The first of many hopefully.

Jaune shrugged, "That's fine with me.

Both men took their seats, after they were both seated, Jacques spoke. "So, Mr. Arc, how about we make this more interesting? A... wager of sorts."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. This was a trap, it had to be.

The CEO of the SDC continued, "If you win, I will restore Weiss as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." He paused to let his words sink in.

"But if you lose... Weiss must return to Schnee Manor and never leave again."

Every eye in the room was on the heir to the Arc legacy. All of the sycophants, socialites, and other assorted members of the upper class assumed that they knew his answer.

Jaune's friends knew better.

Jaune's voice rang out clear and true, carrying convinction that could move mountains, "No deal."

Silence reigned.

He raised a finger, "Reason one: I don't care about the money, I don't care about the power, I don't care about the status of being in a relationship with a Schnee. I don't give a damn about any of it. What I _do_ care about is Weiss, and I know full well that if I took that bet, she would drop me faster than a sack of steaming Grimm... well, you get the picture."

No one dared to interrupt him, not even Jacques.

"Reason two: I promised Weiss that I would never let you control her again, Mr. Schnee, and an Arc always keeps his word."

For a man that hates the Faunus as much as he does, Jacques had a rather impressive growl. "That sense of honor might serve you well on the battlefield, boy, but here?" He spread his arms wide and laughed. "You are in my arena. Honor has no place here."

Jaune rolled his eyes, "Are you going to sit there grandstanding all night, or are we going to play?"

Jacques made his move.

Jaune narrowed his eyes, Going second put him in exactly the position that he wanted to be in. This way, he could focus entirely on counter moves, When it came to chess, that was his sweet spot.

Jaune made his move.

And so it was, back and forth, neither of them holding the advantage for more than a couple of moves. Until, by sacrificing one of his knights, Jaune took the white queen.

Jacques leaned back in his chair. "Well, I'll be damned, Mr. Arc. No one has lasted this long against me in years."

A wry smile played across Jaune's face, "Well, every warrior tribe past its prime has its strategists."

"I have a question for you, about the Fall of Beacon, if you don't mind." Jacques asked.

The sudden topic change threw Jaune for a loop, but only for a second. "Sure, I guess."

Weiss paled as her father started smiling smugly. This was not going to be good.

Jacques asked his question. "So, how does it feel to know that you let Pyrrha Nikos die?"

Several things happened at once. Nora screamed "HOW DARE YOU, YOU **BASTARD**!" Only to be silenced by Ren, "Nora, NO." Weiss materialized by Jaune's side, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. There was a sharp intake of breath from Yang, and a whimper from Ruby.

Jaune took a breath, "You have it backwards, Mr. Schnee."

Silence reigned again.

"I've gone over the events of that night more times than I would like to. I guess that's what happens when I relive it just about every time I go to sleep. If I had followed Pyrrha up to that tower, because that's what would've happened, there was no convincing her otherwise, I would've died. By shoving me in that rocket locker, Pyrrha Nikos saved my life. If she had let me stay, I wouldn't be here, and quite frankly, Weiss would be dead because I wouldn't have been there to save her life at Haven. So, shove your opinion where the sun doesn't shine."

Jacques scowled, clearly unhappy that he hadn't been able to emotionally compromise Jaune.

Jacques made his move.

And so it continued, move and countermove. Weiss started to panic. Her father hadn't been playing seriously before! He was now, there was no way that...

Jaune was still matching him move for move. Her father hadn't realized how outmatched he was against the strategic mind of the Dork Knight.

Then, finally, an hour after they had began, Jaune said the word that heralded his victory.

"Checkmate."

Jacques stared at the board in silence. Finally, he spoke. He was not happy. "How? How could you beat me? you're a damned Arc! You-"

Jaune cut him off, "Please, underestimate me. It'll be fun when I prove you wrong."

Jacques left the table without ceremony, and Jaune found himself under siege by the various chess aficionados that were present. Meanwhile, General Ironwood nodded to Winter and Penny, and they left for the Council meeting, that Weiss was about to crash with some rather incriminating evidence...

* * *

Jaune smiled as Jacques was taken away by General Ironwood's men. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Jaune let himself start daydreaming about falling asleep while cuddling with Weiss, maybe sleeping with someone would help keep the nightmares away...

Weiss and the others blew by him at a dead sprint, at first Jaune marveled how Weiss could move like that in heels but then it dawned on him...

_Oh, dammit, don't tell me..._

Nora ran up to him, "Jaune, Grimm attack in Mantle! Salem's goons used Jacques's clearance to shut down the heating systems!"

They shut off the... Jaune remembered something that he had heard Weiss say over their comms on their mission to clear the launch site for Amity Arena...

_"Without heating or a projected Aura, the cold of Solitas can kill you in a matter of_ hours."

He ran. Time to be a hero again.

As he exited the manor, he found that the Ace Ops, had airdropped prefab shelters that contained everyone's gear. He quickly changed from his tuxedo into this armor, and boarded the airship that would take them to the drop point. He quickly claimed a seat. By unspoken agreement, the seat next to him was left empty until Weiss entered the airship.

She smiled apologetically at him, "Well, I guess this ruins that daydream I was having about us falling asleep while cuddling tonight."

Jaune grinned, of course they were having the same daydream. "There'll be plenty of time for that after we save the day, Snow Angel."

She smirked. Yes, there would be time for that. Icy blue stared into ocean blue, and for a fleeting moment, everything melted away. For that brief moment, none of it mattered, Salem, the relics, the Maidens, the Grimm were all dust on the wind. Reality is a harsh mistress, however, and arrived in the form of a Grimm that ripped off the wing of their airship. As they were bailing out, they shared one more kiss, just a peck, but with it came a promise. A promise that they would both survive what the night had in store for them.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, there it is. My first fanfic, for one of my favorite pairings. I hope that anyone who reads this enjoyed, if you did, or didn't for that matter, please leave a review! It'll help me know what to improve on for my next fic! **


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